2026 PA Mid-am Day 2 Recap

MOHNTON, Pa. – When the pressure has been on this summer, LedgeRock Golf Club’s Brock Kovach has performed in the clutch. He won a playoff on Tuesday to claim the Pennsylvania Golf Association's (PAGA) 33rd Middle-Amateur Championship on his home course. He and his opponent, former PAGA Mid-Am champion and fellow LedgeRock member Zach Dilcher, co-led the tournament at five-under after the first round – but with round two canceled due to weather conditions, a playoff had to decide the 2026 title.

“I woke up to the message that it was going to be canceled but I saw that we were going to do a playoff,” said Kovach. “So I figured it all out and kind of just tried to reset again. It’s been the year of the playoff for me. This was my sixth playoff of 2026, which is just crazy to think about. There are a lot of emotions involved. Luckily, I was successful in five of the six.”

Kovach’s run of playoffs also included a win in the 2026 PAGA George Dressler Memorial Championship way back on April 28.

“I guess experience helps, right?” said Kovach. “Being in that position pretty consistently throughout the summer, I felt like I went into today feeling more comfortable. But as soon as you get out there, the nerves and the jitters come because you know what it means to win a state major. You think about the exemptions, playing all the cool courses down the road, and joining all the names on the trophy. There are just a lot of emotions, and you try to stay calm, cool, and collected, but it’s tough.”

Both Kovach and Dilcher hit solid tee shots and had good looks on the first playoff hole, but neither could take advantage. Brock had a lip-out on the second playoff hole, but a birdie on the third playoff hole sealed the win on his home course.

“The thing I was struggling with the most was that you get a major at your home course and you try not to put too much pressure on yourself, because you know you do have an advantage,” noted Kovach. “I’ve been out here since 2017 and have played it tons of times before, even though I grew up at Berkshire. I think the way I played yesterday helped. It was kind of cruise control. I never got out of position. It was kind of weird because it’s not normally like that. I think I did a really good job managing all the emotions that come with having a major at your home club.”

In addition to today’s victory and his Dressler title, Kovach also captured the prestigious GAP 124^th Joseph J. Patterson Cup in early August in what has been an incredible successful summer.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Kovach. “It’s been an awesome year. I always felt like I could do it. It was just about putting yourself in position and coming through at the right time, and it all seemed to happen this year. It’s meaningful. Looking at the names on this trophy, the names on the Patterson Cup trophy and the Dressler, it’s cool to do it in both PA events and GAP events. It carries over. I’m just going to keep trying to do what I’m doing. I’m really enjoying playing tournament golf and living the mid-amateur lifestyle, I guess. Back in my college days, I probably put too much pressure on myself and practiced too much. Now, I really just go play. You learn with what you have each day, and I think that’s somehow how I managed to do it. It’s been special.”

Next up on the PAGA schedule is the final event of 2026: the 6^th Women’s/19^th Men’s Senior Amateur Match Play Championship, scheduled for Sept. 28 and 29 at Chambersburg Country Club.